The Dallas Morning News fights for attention over the Huffington Post

 I often read things posted by others on social media and wonder, “Where do they get this information?” I think to myself, “Do they read the news?” I turn the question on myself. Do I read the news? How do I even define the news? Well, I do read the news, usually New York Times, Nation Public Radio, and Huffington Post driven by Facebook newsfeed. I consider news to be local, national and world current events. When I think about it, I realize I do not consume enough news, especially local. The Dallas Morning News is my local paper and I am less likely to follow a link to its article than I would Huffington Post. Although DMN is local and easy to access, I prefer The Huffington Post for  the laid back style and interesting stories.

I love having awareness of my surroundings. I really want to like The Dallas Morning News but unless there is an earth shattering story that is happening blocks from me, I am not interested. 

I do like that The Dallas Morning News is local and the website has a calendar for events under entertainment. 

I like the linear way the DMA website is displayed but it does not visually interest me and its companion Facebook page tries too hard to be cool with its campy photo shopped pictures and does not drive me to their news website.

The website content seems lacking too. I caught bits and pieces of the local news on television and I am interested in a story that kept repeating. I do not see anything about that story and I do not want to search for it. Overall, I would say, although The Dallas Morning News is a local source for news and has a clean website; it drops the ball for me on content and lacks visual punch.

The Huffington Post however, has an overall tone to both the website and especially the Facebook page that peaks my interest and drives my attention to the news website.

I do like the bold, oversize lead story front and center. 

I like the solid coverage of political happenings and the less serious but engaging human interest stories.

However, The Huffington Post website suffers with a vertical layout. I find the horizontal sections created by The Dallas Morning News makes for quicker scanning and is easier on the eyes that The Huffington Post's vertical layout. 


Overall I prefer The Huffington Post to The Dallas Morning News for relatable content and visual stimulation. 

Questioning others news consumption made me question my own. I realize I do not consume enough news overall and should probably diversify my news pallet. I see how my news diet has changes over the years and how I do read most of the news online from links. I think it is important to updated on current events and to get different perspectives on opinion based issues. Although, the creativity of the Huffington Post makes me feel like I am eating dessert, I will put forth more effort and try to consume my local news vegetables from The Dallas Morning News.